meteor shower
by badgerpride
Summary: The story about Roxanne Weasley, a girl who didn't know whether or not to believe in love, and Caleb Wood, a boy who didn't think such a question mattered. Roxanne/OC.
1. state of grace: year five

**the state of grace; year five.**

 _this is the worthwhile fight; love is a ruthless game, unless you play it good and right._

 _april, year five._

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** The quote and chapter title belong to Ms Taylor Allison Swift, all else that you recognize is property of JK Rowling - she's just letting me borrow them to tell a story.

* * *

It was dreary outside, and a telltale sign of what was to come as Amelia Nott and Roxanne Weasley ate their breakfast that morning. Roxanne, who had her runes textbook propped against a jug of pumpkin juice, was hardly paying attention to anything going on in the Great Hall as she mindlessly ate her toast, her eyes darting quickly, trying to soak in as much as she could. Her studying had gotten horrendous since the holiday had ended, and Amelia had airily said that they had time to prepare for OWLs, not that her friend had - or even really was.

 _"It'll all work out," the blonde had said with a wave of her hand one night, trying to ward her best friend off as she stitched the hem of her skirt._

Roxanne didn't know how the girl could be so calm. These sealed their futures… but, Roxanne knew what Amelia's ideal future was, so maybe the girl didn't have much to worry about after all.

Amelia, who had happened to look up and across to the Gryffindor table made a face. "Oooh, he's staring over here again!" she whined, shooting the offending Gryffindor boy a glare, sticking her tongue out for good measure. Roxanne didn't hear her as she turned the page of her textbook, and Amelia, who hated when her best friend ignored her, poked her side hard.

"Ow!" she hissed, jerking over to the left and into a third year girl, who cried out in protest. "Oh shut up!" Roxanne snapped before turning to Amelia, "Why'd you do that, you bint!?" In the commotion, her textbook had fallen back, and Amelia had caught the jug and propped it up right.

" _He's_ staring again!" she repeated, making sure the jug was sturdy as she pulled back, giving Roxanne an annoyed look.

Roxanne rolled her eyes, "Who is?"

Amelia gestured to the table across the hall and Roxanne turned, seeing a pair of grey-blue eyes dart to the side, as if he'd been listening to James Potter's overly dramatic story complete with handwaving and loud noises, but she saw the smile and knew he was secretly having a laugh at her. "So what?" Roxanne sniffed, pretending like her heart hadn't sped up or her cheeks hadn't reddened. Amelia wasn't fooled in the slightest and rolled her blue eyes.

"Oh sure, you don't care," she hummed and poured herself more tea, sipping it and friend's fists clenched.

"I don't!"

"I didn't say that you didn't," Amelia said back, sipping her tea again.

Both girls looked at one another before Roxanne broke first, rolling her eyes and grinding her teeth. She saw him looking at her again and she blushed, her stomach exploded into butterflies and suddenly there was a clatter. Her arm had knocked a platter of eggs that had showered everywhere and the third year girl wailed again, this time red faced and brown eyes swimming as people turned, laughing at her and Roxanne who were now covered in bits of scrambled egg, she wailed, "Are you serious?!"

Roxanne waved at her impatiently and pulled out her wand, concentrating and with a wave, the mess was gone. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she heard Amelia mutter, "Show off," under her breath. Roxanne breathed heavily a bit and took a sip of juice. She had been practicing her nonverbal spells, but it was a lot to do simple spells, but the progress was astonishing considering they wouldn't learn it until their sixth year.

Pulling herself out of her seat, she ignored Caleb's stare again and looked at her best friend, "I'm going to class, I want to make sure my transfiguration essay is still decent."

Amelia waved, still cutting up a bit of bacon, "Alrighty then, Annie, see you in potions."

Roxanne took off out of the Great Hall, her bag swinging behind her as she still kept her nose in her textbook, reading as she went up the marble staircase. She heard someone coming up behind her fast and moved to get out of their way, eyes still in her book when it was suddenly snatched out of her hands. "Hey!" she shouted, looking up and seeing him run up the stairs, the book held over his head like a prize and he was laughing. "Caleb, seriously!" Running up after him, she breathed hard and cursed. "Give me my bloody book, Wood!"

Caleb, who was leaning against the banister casually, her book propped open to the wrong page (causing her to grit her teeth in frustration) and was pretending to study it. "These symbols are so fascinating," he said to her in a mock Roxanne voice, holding the book out of her reach when she lunged for it. "You could translate a whole book with enough hard work and dedication."

Roxanne jumped for her book and he laughed, lowering it and holding it high again. She gritted her teeth before giving him a kick in the shins, grabbing the book when he lost balanced. "Don't be a sodding git," she snapped, shutting the book and brushing it off. He laughed at this, not stopping even when she gave him a warning glare.

"I could take points you know, and you and your band of idiots have lost Gryffindor so many."

He waved her off, "Don't get on your hippogriff at me, most of them are points _you_ snatched."

"Hardly. After all the things I've caught _you_ alone doing, be lucky it wasn't more."

He rolled his eyes, but it was more in endearing to her than annoyance. It was their same song and dance: he annoyed her, she got annoyed, he did something and she took five points for being a pain in her bum. This time, however, it was different. He bent down as she shoved the book into her stuffed bag, grinning at her. "Listen, we Gryffies are having a victory party tonight, in the Room of Requirement, and I was wondering if you'd come to it."

She looked up him and snorted, "Victory party? Victory for what? Not setting the castle on fire!"

"Well there's that small victory, but also the Quidditch House Cup, of course!"

She gave him a dry look. "And here I thought James Potter couldn't be more arrogant. The cup is hardly in your hands."

"Au contraire," he tutted. "As if that cup is going to Hufflepuff, be serious. Those duffers don't stand a chance against us!"

"If you do recall one of "those duffers" happens to be one of your best friend and my brother," she reminded him cooly, crossing her arms and he laughed.

"Freddie is not on the team, he doesn't count!" She rolled her eyes and began to walk down the hallway, turning into the runes corridor and he grabbed her hand gently, the act surprising her more than upsetting her and she looked at his hand in confusion, but he dropped it as fast as he grabbed it, his playful look never leaving. "Listen, it's a party, a fun thing I know you oppose, but it wouldn't be so awful if you made an appearance."

She looked up at him, for a moment her eyes were taken by his splatter of freckles around his face and the dimples his smile made, and with that, she found herself nodding, unable to find herself being able to say no. "Yeah… I'll consider it," she said. He stood at full height, towering over her, looking excited and pleased.

"Excellent, then I'll consider seeing you tonight."

With that, he walked off with a wave and Roxanne clung her bag, watching him go. Her heart raced as she watched him leave, unsure of what she was going to do as her stomach did a flip. One thing was sure, though: she had begun to care a lot more than she was willing to admit, and that much scared her as she went into the classroom, forgetting exactly why she'd left breakfast early, and not finding it in herself to really care.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Reviews are welcome.


	2. wolves: year three

**wolves; year three.**

 _in the middle of the night, when the wolves come out, headed straight for your heart like a bullet in the dark._

 _january, year three._

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** The quote and chapter title belong to One Direction (before their demise), the rest that is not plot and OCs is property of JK Rowling's.

* * *

She chewed on the tip of her quill impatiently. She was in the library at a table facing the lake, working on arithmancy, and she reached for her textbook, skimming the pages for a clue as the answer to this problem when Amelia came out from the shelves, slamming a book down on and rattling her bottle of ink. Roxanne steadied it, glaring at her best friend who was perfectly oblivious as always. "I have finally done it!" She exclaimed cheerfully as she opened the big, heavy book. "I finally found a way to get our revenge!"

"Revenge?" Roxanne asked tiredly, an eyebrow raised as she eyed the book suspiciously. "Revenge on who?"

"Who else? Caleb Wood and his band of idiots, of course!"

"You mean the James Potter gang he's a lackey of," she corrected and Amelia waved it off.

"Whatever, the whole lot of them are prats," she sniffed before pointing at a page. "But look at this!"

She turned the book and stood it up so Roxanne could see a picture of a complicated potion of a mans hair changing multiple shades per minute and she blinked as Amelia gave it an affectionate glance. "Isn't it perfect?"

Roxanne swallowed a scoff and cleared her throat, "It's, uh, interesting," she tried politely, not seeing much menace in a potion, regardless of how complex it was.

"Oh c'mon, Roxanne, it's perfect and you know it! It'll be brilliant! Imagine their faces if we got them with this of all things."

"As if it would bother them," Roxanne pointed out and Amelia waved her off.

"No, you're looking at this the wrong way," she sighed and took the seat beside her best friend. "Imagine their sodding egos if _we_ , the so-called sticks in the mud of Hogwarts, got them! They'd be fuming!"

Roxanne thought about it, not entirely convinced and Amelia continued eagerly, "And the more they try to charm it, the more it changes! They'll have to go to Madam Pomfrey, so the whole school would see this!" She cackled with delight, nearly doing a victory dance.

Roxanne bit her lip, then smiled. "Let's do it then," she conceded.

* * *

 **:+:**

* * *

The potion was easy enough once Slughorn allowed them some of the ingredients they didn't have, and in one of the potion's dungeons, the two girls sat and brewed their potion.

Amelia tossed in lacewings, watching it go from a dreary grey to a bright, bubblegum pink as she stirred it counter clockwise with a smile. Roxanne read the potion, eying every detail and crushed a bit of unicorn horn and said, "How're we going to get in the tower, though? Neither of us know the password."

"Uh, hello, you're a _Weasley_ , Roxanne! All but you, your brother, and Lily are in Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but I never visit them there, so it'd be suspicious to just ask for a password. It'd be a dead giveaway that we're up to something."

Amelia frowned, "Shoot… Well, I hadn't thought of that."

With a wrench thrown into their plan, they continued on the potion, before an idea dawned onto Roxanne. "Do lads take showers after quidditch practice?"

Amelia shrugged, scrunching up her face, "Possibly…"

"If we break into the locker room during practice and laced their shampoo…"

Amelia smiled, "Yes, yes, yes!"

The two girls continued on the potions, laughing and making up scenarios of the boys, running wildly, hexing the school in revenge. "Ooh," Amelia cooed as they put it in several vials of potion, "I cannot wait to see their faces! This is going to be sweet!" She smacked her lips loudly, emphasizing the T and Roxanne nodded in agreement, her smile menacing. _Just you wait, James Potter, we're coming for you and your little cronies, too!_

* * *

 **:+:**

* * *

"Okay," Amelia chimed, lowering the omnioculars from her eyes with a grin, "I believe that the coast is clear!"

Roxanne peaked from her spot by the rocks where she'd hidden beside Amelia, seeing the ground empty. The two girls crept lowly, using their lack of height as an advantage, though Roxanne would doubt it'd matter from the air if the team spotted them, and headed towards the change rooms. She brushed her braids out of her hair as she tapped her wand to the lock, whispering, "Alohomora," and seizing the handle when the door gave a quiet click.

The seven members of the team were James and Davies Harris: the beaters, Eloise Jones, a chaser who also happened to be the captain, Caleb and Henry Lockwood: her co-chasers, Laurel MacMillan: their seeker. Together, they were nearly unstoppable. Talent ran wild on the team, but Roxanne hardly watched a quidditch game that didn't involve Ravenclaw, and even then it was pure support. Oh, what a disappointment she had been…

They crept around the room looking for Caleb and James' things, holding their breath and prepared to hide if the door so much gave a creak.

"Eureeka!" hissed Amelia, urging Roxanne to come over.

The smaller girl had been over by the showers, crept slowly and lingered over the bag as Amelia unzipped it. "Merlin," the blonde gagged, holding the bag away from her. Roxanne's lips gave a twitch and she loomed over it, holding her breath as best she could, observing the contents inside. "Merlin, does Caleb ever wash his things? This is putrid! It's a health hazard!"

"Keep your voice down," Roxanne scolded quietly, looking over her shoulder incase someone was hiding in the rafters. Holding their breaths, they opened it, looking for something and she grinned when her hand hit a bar of soap and whispered, "The potion works on skin too, right?"

* * *

 **:+:**

* * *

Several hours later, long after the sun had set and dinner had begun, the two girls watched from a safe hiding spot while eating a celebratory package of biscuits, curtesy of Angelina Johnson-Weasley, as the team trudged down the long, windy path to the change room. James was obnoxiously swinging his bat in a circle as Caleb held his broom around his neck, arm muscles bulging in his scarlet robes.

The girls held their breaths, trying hard not to laugh or squeal in delight as they all vanished into the change rooms for a well-deserved dose of revenge.

Roxanne picked up the omnioculars gleefully, pressing her eyes against the frames before Amelia made a grab at them and they decided each could have an eye. With it filming, ready to be played back many times for years and years to come, they heard two loud shouts of surprise.

Birds flew dramatically from the trees as the shouting continued, and then they heard the uproar of laughter and began to laugh themselves. The two boys came out changing from pastel blue, to pink, to green, to purple, flashing all colors at once, and going back again. The two laughed hysterically, dropping the omnioculars, freezing their laughter in time as it caught them in the fall. "I'm going to wet my trousers," Amelia gasped, wheezing heavily as she tried to control herself, the laughter starting up again. Roxanne was holding a stitch at her side, crying as the two stood there, scanning for the laughter of two familiar girls.

"Oh Merlin, I can't breathe!" Amelia gagged and Roxanne coughed, wiping her eyes as she continued to laugh, "This is too bloody brilliant! 'Melia! You're a bloody genius, and don't you forget it."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up!" snarled James Potter, who towered over them, Caleb behind him, glaring with less menace than her cousin. The two girls stared up in horror for a moment, shared a look, and began to scream in laughter.

"Nice look, lads," Roxanne said, not even bothering to play coy - she couldn't, even if she had wanted to. Laughter bubbled up uncontrollably, making her look mental as she carried on, holding her side.

"Are you two looking for your heard, the forrest is that way," Amelia thumbed east, causing Roxanne to burst into another mad fit of laughter.

"Why you little -" her cousin snarled, reaching for his wand and Roxanne tutted.

"What's the matter, Jamesie? Can't take a joke?" Roxanne said between giggles, feigning shock. "You wouldn't want to look like a stick in the mud, would you? It's not very Weasleyish."

Caleb's mouth twitched and he pretended to cough into his hand. James glared at him and then back at the two girls. "I'll get you for this," he promised.

"Oh I'm sure you will," Roxanne agreed, Amelia grinning beside her, pulling a camera out of her school bag, "but smile first!"

A flash went off and the two girls sprinted up the hill, the boys at their heels. Both were taller and more athletic, but Roxanne dodged James's hands and Amelia faked a left, nearly falling down the slop, but caught herself, unlike Caleb, who fell and rolled a bit downward.

Roxanne let out a wild laugh as she turned back to see it, her braids flapping behind her as she made a mad dash to the greenhouses. It didn't really matter if they got caught. The two boys would have to walk past the Great Hall to get to the hospital wing, anyways and the Gryffindor quidditch team had seen them and would hardly ever let them forget this.

But Roxanne wanted the school to see that she'd gotten her cousin back, and she wasn't ashamed to admit it to herself. After all these years of underhanded comments and mean jokes, she'd gotten him and Caleb, too, which was a nice bonus!

Amelia turned out to be a better runner than Roxanne thought, but she was also a touch taller. The blonde was almost to the bridge when James made a dash for her, gaining speed quickly. Roxanne cupped her hands over her mouth, not daring to slow down, even though her legs burned and lungs ached. "JAMES IS BEHIND YOU! YOU CAN MAKE IT, MIA!"

A pair of strong arms grabbed her from behind and she saw a flash of pink and said, "How was that for fun?" she all but snarled, not even bothering to look at Caleb.

His arms raised and lowered in a shrug and he said, "In three years of knowing you, that was the first time I've ever heard you laugh."

Her mouth pinched in resentment. "I laugh," she argued.

"Not around me," he pointed out and she scowled.

"Why would I laugh around you or your fellow prats? I laugh when things are actually funny," she sniffed angrily. She wasn't going to let him take this victory from her.

"You laugh like an angry hippogriff," he pointed out casually, moving forward, forcing her to walk, too, to avoid toppling over.

She bit her tongue and then spat out, "And your bag smells like a threstral stall, so what's your point?"

He grinned, "Check and mate, Weasley."

* * *

 **:+:**

* * *

By the next morning, the whole school was laughing and gossiping about Caleb Wood and James Potter flashing colors. Mysteriously, a copy from a set of ominoculars had gone around the school, making Roxanne Weasley and Amelia Nott go down in infamous Hogwarts pranking history, much to the resentment of one James Sirius Potter, who never quite seemed to live it down.


	3. from the very first day: year one

**from the very first day.**

 _you take a deep breath and walk through the door, it's the morning of your very first day._

 _september, year one._

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** Title and quote belong to Taylor Swift, non-OCs and plot belong to JK Rowling.

* * *

"Now Freddie, watch her, okay!" Angelina said, clamping her son's hand around her daughter's. George Weasley, who stood behind them, playfully rolled his eyes at his children. Angelina had gone crazy all morning, saddened by her last baby leaving the nest to Hogwarts, and now she was struggling to hold back tears.

Roxanne, who was less than amused, snatched her hand from her brother's sweaty grasp and said, "Mum, for the last time, I'll be fine." The eleven year old sounded exhausted, as this was her twentieth-or-so time saying this line to her mother that day. She didn't even know how many times over the summer she'd said it with the same sigh and eye roll.

Angelina, who remained unfazed by her daughter's confidence and utter exhaustion about her mother's constant worry, peppered her kids' faces with kisses before George swooped in to give them both long hugs, slipping each of them a galleon for the trolley behind their mother's back.

"Write to us, okay!" He tapped his daughter's chin affectionately and said, "Don't be so nervous about the sorting, even if it is battling a fully grown mountain troll." Kissing his daughter's cheek, the scarlet train let out a final whistle and Freddie grabbed Roxanne, pushing her through the door. The two turned back to their parents for a final goodbye as the train lurched forward, George waved and Angelina curled into him, waving halfheartedly back. Before looking ahead, Roxanne saw her dad squeeze her mother, rubbing her shoulder, his wave never stopping as they turned from the station.

Freddie wasted no time ditching her to go find his friends, leaving Roxanne alone after advising her to find one of their many cousins. Roxanne scowled after him as he went down the hall, gripping her trunks handle as she made herself taller.

 _So much for Hufflepuff loyalty_ , she spat bitterly to herself as she dragged her heavy trunk behind her.

She wanted to spend the ride alone, preferably with a book. She hated mingling. She'd never been good at idle chitchat and getting to know someone, it wasn't in her nature.

Still, a part of her wanted to have someone to take this all in with. For eleven years she'd been dying to go to Hogwarts, waiting for the day to come where she'd get on the scarlet train and finally hone the craft that'd been whispering in her ear for so long. It seemed too big to contain by herself.

Her trunk was heavy and she suspected her mother may have snuck in more than Roxanne had packed.

Her mother was a worrier, as was her dad, they just showed it in different ways. Angelina was afraid of losing her children, a side effect from the war that had taken a few friends with it's ending. George wasn't any better, but he hid it behind easy grins and pocket money.

He was constantly checking up on them, more so than his wife. He wrote twice a day, sending gifts to disguise what he was doing and sometimes it peeved Roxanne, but she tried to be sympathetic. After all that, letting your kids leave must be hard…

Everywhere felt too full to her. People seemed to know one another and she gritted her teeth. Maybe she would have to go find Rose and Albus… Hogwarts had a handful of her cousins, but she didn't want to be the newbie among them.

Tucking a braid behind her hair, she heard a door open behind her and heard someone scream, then a loud _thunk!_ as they hit the floor. Roxanne whirled around, eyes wide as she saw a tiny blonde girl sprawled out, glaring daggers at none other than James Potter, who grinned down at her. "No first years!" he said snootily.

The blonde shot up, her fists clenched and eyes filling with tears, "I was there first! Get out!"

James head was joined with a sandy blonde boys and said, "What's the magic password!?"

"How do you perform the unlocking charm?" James chimed, egging on the girl whose face was reddening and Roxanne's fists clenched, her trunk dropping loudly as she went over.

"James!" she fumed, getting between the girl and glaring up at her taller cousin who was surprised to see her.

"Roxy!" he said in a singsong voice, knowing how much he hated the nickname her family insisted on calling her. "How's my favorite firstie cousin? Sorry, rule applies to you, too."

Roxanne seethed and snapped, "Oh shut up! Stop being a git and give the poor girl her compartment back!"

The blonde girl was looking at the dark-skinned girl in amazement. Roxanne was smaller than her older cousin, who had hit a growth spurt over the summer and became a gangly set of limbs. Roxanne glared up at him, her toffee eyes fierce and threatening and the blonde, still on the floor chimed a, "Yeah!"

James snorted and began to shut the door as laughter roared in the compartment. Roxanne slammed her foot in the door and suddenly, she shoved her cousin out of the way and climbed into a seat. The blonde hadn't been fast enough in her scramble and the sandy haired boy held it shut, making faces at her as she waited on the other side, eagerly looking in.

The compartment held her brother, a tall brunette boy with grey-blue eyes and dimples, and a girl with jet black hair and caramel skin.

"Sorry," Roxanne said, mocking James' voice, "no prats allowed!"

James made a lunge for her, but Roxanne climbed on the brunette boy who shouted and grabbed her as she went to make a climb for the trunk rack.

"Oi, James, what is this weird creature!"

As Freddie shouted, "Roxanne, don't! James, lets leave it and give the kid her compartment back."

"Shut up, Freddie, don't be such a pansy!" James snapped back as the brunette, who was gangly and no more than elbows and spaghetti limbs, stood up and grabbed her.

Roxanne withered in his grasp in mad protest, shouted, "Let go!"

"This is yours?" the boy asked Freddie and James in perplexed amusement, unfazed by the small girl in his arms. He laughed, "You're joking!"

Roxanne stomped his foot, causing him to shout and drop one of her arms and she pulled herself, but he held on easily. "What Weasley tree did she fall out of?"

"The reject one," James said meanly and Freddie glared.

"James, stop," he said, grabbing Roxanne's hand, but she pulled away and her body hit the brunette's torso. He grinned down at her and took her other arm.

The sandy haired boy had turned from Amelia, still holding the door closed and had begun to share Bertie Botts with the caramel skinned girl, watching the show with amused gazes.

Roxanne gave a haughty sniff at the whole compartment. "Give that girl her compartment back!" she demanded, stamping her foot with impatience.

"Or what?" James taunted and Roxanne smiled up at him.

"Or what? Or I'll write to Aunt Ginny. Imagine what she'd do if she knew her eldest son was nothing more than a great ole bully, putting Gryffindor house to shame." She turned her gaze to Freddie, her smile just as menacing, "And you! Imagine mum and dad if they knew you were an accomplice to bullying. What would Hufflepuff say?"

Both boys paled, but the brunette holding her let out a laugh, "That's the big threat? Telling their mums?!"

James glared, "Shut up, Caleb!"

"Yeah," Freddie agreed, his voice a mere squeak as he imagined the wrath of Angelina Johnson-Weasley and the disappointed looks of George, even Roxanne shuddered.

Soon the door opened and the older kids cleared. The blonde grabbed Roxanne's trunk and said, "Merlin! This thing is as heavy as a full-grown dragon, what in Godric's name did you pack?"

Roxanne shrugged and took the handle, leaving it in front of the unoccupied seat, taking the one beside the window. The blonde joined her, her smile cheerful as she began to clap her hands, "You were amazing! So brave and fearless, it was so cool! Ooh, I bet you'll be a Gryffindor, Weasley's always are. Or, so I heard. That might be a wizarding rumor. But it was so awesome," she continued, slamming her hands to her cheeks, eyes wide. "I can't even believe you, thank you!"

Roxanne blushed and shrugged, playing with a loose string of her jumper, "Yeah, it was nothing."

"Nothing?! Nothing?!" The girl hollered, causing Roxanne to wince and glare at her noise, almost regretting what she'd done. "It was awesome and you know it, you're too humble. I think it's humble… My mother tried to explain it to me a while ago, so who knows." She stuck out her hand and grinned, "I'm Amelia Nott."

Roxanne took it gingerly and said, "Roxanne Weasley."

The two looked at one another, both knowing who the other was based on families and she deflated a bit. "Notts are always Slytherins," she said glumly.

Roxanne nodded, "And as you said, we're always Gryffindors."

The two shared a grin and laughed. Roxanne opened the trunk, glaring at the extra contents and shoved them aside for Exploding Snap. When the trolly came around, Roxanne bought them juice and sweets, laughing and gossiping the whole way to Hogwarts.


	4. fearless: year three

**fearless.**

 _and i don't know how it gets better than this, you take me by the hand, drag me head first, fearless._

 _may, year three._

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** All I own is the memory of the plot. Chapter title and quote is Taylor's, JK Rowling owns the rest.

* * *

The rain pelted the window as Roxanne sat in Ancient Runes, staring idly out the window. She could see the quidditch pitch faintly between the harsh rain, her mind elsewhere as she held her quill partially up.

Usually she was more diligent in runes, but today she just couldn't keep her head on. She blamed the weather. It was gloomy out and it made her want to take a nap, but that wasn't entirely true, and she knew that as she eyed the pitch.

She kept thinking of the victory Gryffindor had over Ravenclaw and how they had won the cup. It was preposterous to think she was ogling over the victory of her own house (a sham, really), but she couldn't help it.

All she could think of was him smiling at her in the crowd as she retreated with Amelia. He'd given her a thumbs up of sorts, which she hadn't understood, and disappeared into the Gryffindor celebration.

 _What did it mean…_

"Miss Weasley are we bothering you?" The sound of her name pulled her from her thoughts, causing her to jump and go into perfect student mode when she realized the question was from Professor Babbling, who looked less than pleased to be ignored.

Her classmates were snickering at her and she reddened. The class pet caught with her mind elsewhere, it was a proper treat for those who disliked her - which turned out to be more she could even be aware of, though the fact didn't phase her much.

She had the decency to look ashamed and bowed her head, "No professor," she said quietly. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

Professor Babbling gave one stiff nod, her nostrils flared and said, "Too right you won't. Honestly, with exams less than a week away."

Roxanne kept her eyes on her parchment, taking extra notes for good measure and cursed Caleb, not that he'd know it any different. Roxanne was always annoyed at him for one reason or another and it never really seemed to phase him…

What did he mean… she found herself wondering as she copied the symbols on the board, cursing herself. She dwelled on his muscles, his stupid fringe and his grey-blue eyes, those dumb dimples… The way he smiled when he'd given her a thumbs up.

She repressed the urge to gag at how idiotic she felt. Her best friend, Amelia was the one who fell into the romantic mumbo jumbo.

Her trunk was packed to the nines of FiFi LaFolle novels, and she always had her nose stuffed inside Witch Weekly for all the gossip on hunky bachelors and new _IT_ couples. Romance? That wasn't Roxanne's thing.

Heck, Amelia was even so delusional to think she and Barry Macmillan would end up together because of how often he picked on her. She believed that, like in _Enchanted Encounters_ , he and her would be enemies to lovers, which made Roxanne snort. What was even more funny, sometimes she believed Amelia believed that her and Caleb were soulmates, which made Roxanne half laugh and half lose the contents of her stomach.

She and Caleb were hardly romantic, let alone destined for one another. But she was expecting sound logic from a girl who took a witch from the 1800s seriously. It was like asking a cat to do a cartwheel. The potential might be there, but the execution was never going to happen.

Roxanne did love Amelia's faith in things, though. Her family hardly had the sound structure to make her understand what true love was, so in a way, FiFi LaFolle, in all her ridiculous cliches and terrible plots, was the only way Amelia could observe love without being a creep.

Roxanne still hated that this stupid thumbs up was making her feel like a protagonist of a story though. Soon, she'd find herself whitewashed and on the cover of some ridiculous paperback with a title like _Lovers Swoon in Hogwarts_ with Caleb flying a broom covered in daffodils.

She shuddered at the thought, drawing the symbol for partnership carefully and wondered if her life partner would be Amelia or the people they ended up with.

Probably Amelia, she hated everyone else.

Maybe he was mocking her with a victory of a sport she didn't give a toss about?

Gah! He was infecting her thoughts. Maybe she should go to the hospital wing… She snorted, Amelia was infecting her thoughts, too.

When the ball rang, she gathered her things and began to leave when Professor Babbling held her back. "Miss Weasley, a world." Roxanne hung back, clinging to her bag as her teacher flicked her wand toward the door and it shut with a click. "I'm sorry to be so harsh, it's just, it would be such a shame if you threw away everything. You're young, but you're a bright student. Don't let it get to your head, you need to study and pay attention as much as any others."

Roxanne nodded and when Babbling let her go with a wave, she ran out the door. As she walked to the stairs, she cursed herself and Caleb. She didn't know what it was about him lately that had turned her brain to mush.

Hating herself for being a prat, she entered the hall and sat down across from Amelia, refusing to face the Gryffindor table. If she was developing a crush on him, she didn't want to risk it. She'd have a crush on anyone but him, she was determined now to let this die. Spooning some stew into a bowl, Amelia looked up.

"What's wrong?" the blonde asked after three full minutes of silence, bookmarking her page of the book she'd been reading in her wait for her best friend. Setting it aside, Roxanne glared at the cover of two lovesick teenagers looking at each other on the astronomy tower. The girl had beautiful golden hair and a set of lilac dress robes, clinging onto the railing, hair cascading perfectly over one shoulder and looked absolutely helpless as the boy, a handsome brunette, stared up from the ground with no shirt. It was called _Star-crossed at Hogwarts_ and Roxanne was about to be its sequel: _Sick in the Great Hall!_

"Why would something be wrong?" she asked resentfully, keeping her glare trained on the offensive book.

"Oh no reason, just that you look like you're going to set fire to my book." Amelia said lightly, putting it away in her bag just in case Roxanne actually was going to torch her precious book.

Roxanne gave her best friend a stink eye and said, "Nothing's wrong! Why does everyone think there's something wrong with me?"

"I'm sorry, which Weird Sisters' song is this? I'm a bit rusty on their albums," she asked, tapping her chin in mock concentration.

Roxanne frowned, knowing her teen angst was at an all time high and she grossed her arms across her chest bitterly.

"Now," Amelia said, figuring Roxanne was cooled down enough and put her chin atop her folded hands, "what's bugging you, sunshine?"

"Nothing," she spat out as her eyes trailed to the entrance to the hall. Caleb came bounding in with Laurel, the girl's perfectly straight and shiny black hair flowing behind them.

They looked breathtaking and for a moment, she bitterly thought that if FiFi LaFolle hadn't croaked in 1971, she'd have found her new set of models to base her books off of.

"Oh I'm sure," said Amelia, turning and finding Caleb easily, wiggling her fingers at him as he nodded at her.

Roxanne scowled, taking a massive bite of stew, even though she was no longer hungry for any of it.

Amelia launched into a story, changing the subject easily and began to discuss her plans for the summer. Summers were always the same between them: Amelia went to France with her family and Roxanne worked in the shop. Amelia always wanted to go to the Weasleys' or even The Burrow she heard so much about, but it was never a possibility.

The Notts weren't Death Eaters. Her dad was hardly a good man, but he hadn't gotten himself wrapped up in that rubbish, but it didn't mean he hadn't supported it when it happened. Amelia never mentioned it, and neither did Roxanne.

Once the two had naively asked, and Amelia had received a simple no.

They hadn't even bothered to make an excuse, so they'd let it go.

During the summer, there was always a lot of missing one another…

When they finished their lunches, they wandered down to the greenhouses for Herbology. She kept her mind focused on her task, which was lucky since she had to be weary of her puffapod dropping and blooming all over the green house.

She could only imagine Neville writing to Uncle Harry absentmindedly that she'd been spacey in a one off comment. Her family would spin all kinds of stories if that was the case, all of them much more interesting than the truth she was suppressing.

* * *

"Good Merlin, I'm starving," Amelia declared at the end of class as she shoved her textbook into her bag.

"We should get some biscuits from the kitchens," Roxanne agreed. "I almost wish we weren't going home so Mum would send us a care package, I'm craving her raspberry biscuits..."

"Here, here!" Amelia agreed happily.

The two girls look out at the rain, frowning before casting a shield with their wands, making a makeshift umbrella for themselves.

Heading back up the castle, she tried to see through the rain, accidentally running into someone who had been going through the rain as quick as possible, sliding down the slop and causing her to call in the muck.

Rain pelted her hard and Roxanne let out a shout of pain, as she landed hard on her bottom. The person, who turned out to be a brunette boy with familiarly toned arms, landed a top of her, doing his best to take most of the fall.

Mud splashed upwards, getting into her hair and in her left eye, and her hands had helplessly sank into the puddle. Blinking furiously to try and get it out, Caleb cursed and tried to stand up, falling again the opposite way, spraying them with more mud.

"For Melin's sake!" he shouted, trying and failing again. She laughed, watching him again, though mud sprayed her face and she sputtered angrily before laughing again. She patted the ground for her wand, breathing in deeply before swishing it, she uttered a charm her mother taught her over the holiday. Most the mud on them vanished, but not all of it. He looked impressed.

"You've been practicing. That's fourth year level magic," he said and she nodded.

"I'm nearly there, just needs a bit of tweaking," she admitted, getting on all fours before standing. She held out her hand to help him out and he grasped it. Unfortunately his hand, that had been keeping him upright, slid in the mud and she fell forward, landing on top of him. He groaned in pain when she elbowed his side and she reddened at their proximity.

"I thought you were supposed to be athletic," she accused, turning her head to the side so he couldn't see the blush coloring them.

He glared, "I am! I've toned a lot since September, give me some credit, Weasley - it's mud."

She grinned at his defensive tone, trying to ignore the place her mind went. He worked out a lot, and she sadly _did_ know that… She had seen him shirtless a few times when he and the lads ran laps around the lake, and she shook her head. No you idiot, don't think about it!

She tutted at him, "So defensive, Merlin."

"You could wingardium leviosa me out of this," he suggested playfully, his eyes twinkling.

She puffed her cheeks, "You're still going on about that? That jokes ancient." It was another time when she wondered how far their little secret went, and let the response she had to him go.

Roxanne grabbed under his arm, trying not to swoon at the feel of it, and helped him to his feet. Looking around, she realized Amelia had abandoned her. The cow! She was probably watching behind a tree with a stupid grin, muttering about how her OTP was happening. Whatever that meant.

Amelia often hung around Hufflepuff tarts in the classes Roxanne didn't participate in, and they rubbed off on her. Looking around, she went to call out her best friend's name when Caleb cut her off.

"It's still one of the best moments I've witnessed you do to James," he said.

"Isn't he your best friend?"

Caleb shrugged, taking out his wand and waving it, mud disappearing from their cloaks and he said with a casual air, "I know when someone needs to be taken down a few pegs. It's an arrogant arse thing," He winked at her playfully and she scowled.

"So what brings you down to the greenhouses? I thought you avoided herbology like the plague."

"Oh, I do," he agreed with a nod, "but Longbottom needed to see me about a detention, or whatever. Apparently not turning in essays is a big no-no, but no one ever told me that!"

"It's not like it's obvious or anything," Roxanne spat with an eye roll. He shrugged and they fell into silence.

Neither of them made a move to leave. Neither of them really wanted to leave, even if the silence was deafening and the rain was cold. Also, they were standing in muck, but they hardly noticed as they eyed one another.

"So…" Caleb said, shoving his hands into his pockets, teetering back.

"So…" Roxanne echoed, causing him to glare and she grinned. It was such a small triumph, but she took her victories in stride.

His hair fell into his eyes as his body came forward, resting flat foot in the muck and before she knew it, she was reaching up to brush the fringe out of his eyes. They widened, surprised by this and then the dimples appeared. Roxanne didn't know if what she was feeling was adrenaline or the start of a heart attack, but she was worried she was going to be reunited with her stew if her nerves didn't slow down. She hadn't been thinking, and now she was being stupid and touching his hair like a lovesick git…

"I miss your pastel look," Roxanne said stupidly, nearly cursing herself as he laughed.

"You're lecturing _me_ about old jokes? That prank was ages ago!"

"It was six months ago, mind you! And way funnier than me wingardium leviosa-ing James," she argued, crossing her arms haughtily.

"Hardly. Both took him by surprise, but that was when you were an ickle first year, much more humiliating. And it was in a Nott's honor, no less. Double whamy on his end, Roxy."

She scowled at the nickname and he chuckled, brushing her braids behind her ears. His hands lingered much longer than they needed to and her heart raced as he looked down at her, dimples in full form.

FiFi LaFolle would have a field day if she could have seen them now. Maybe Caleb and Laurel wouldn't be the models of her book. Maybe it'd be him and her…

"Besides," he whispered, his eyes trained on hers, "you pulled that prank on me. Not nearly as funny now, is it."

She opened her mouth, but failed to find something witty. He was so close to her face and she was being sucked into something she couldn't put her finger on as he bent closer to her.

He began to say her name, his lips ghosting hers before encasing them. She didn't know what else to do as the whizzbangs went off in her stomach. Her heart was somewhere in her throat, beating so hard she thought it would burst from her mouth as one of his hands clutched her braids gently. His hand was sliding down her side, lingering just before her waist, mindful of her inexperience.

She clutched his arms, not sure where her hands should go. All she could do was cling and kiss, unsure of anything else in the world.

Rain pelted them. Their cloaks were drenched and heavy, but neither cared. When the kiss broke, Roxanne's eyes opened slowly. She hadn't even been aware that they'd been closed as she was faced with his broad chest. He smiled down at her, and she looked up at him wide, terrified eyes.

"I…" she began and he looked at her, grey-blue eyes eager. Suddenly, without warning, she shoved past him, her petite figure retreating wildly up the hill, her lips tingling with her first kiss.


	5. long, hand written note: year five

**long, handwritten note.**

 _'cause we had a beautiful, magic love there. what a sad, beautiful tragic love affair…_

 _april, year five._

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** Quote and title, as per 99.9% of the time are owned by Taylor Swift. The rest that clearly isn't mine, however, is JK Rowling's.

* * *

The tawny barn owl had swooped down, knocking over her goblet and stealing her toast for good measure as it'd flew off. Roxanne was going to shout at it, but was distracted by what it had delivered. She recognized the curvy, messy handwriting as it spelt out _Roxanne_. Not _Rox_. Not _Roxy_. No _Weasley_. Her full name, just as she preferred it.

She didn't give him any brownie points for it. All she did was crumple the letter at her side before anyone could sneak a peek as Amelia cleared the mess, telling the people sitting near them to shut up. She looked at Roxanne expectedly, but was wide eyed when the girl had pulled back from the table, letter long since shoved in her bag.

"I'm going to herbology," she said and didn't wait for a response as she left the hall in a flurry of bronze and blue rage. A group of Gryffindor third years moved out of her way, glaring at her as she went by, but she didn't care.

Silently seething to herself, the letter felt heavy in her bag. _That arrogant toe rag! He has some nerve!_ She raged as she threw open the entrance door, reveling in its slam as she got to the bridge.

Roxanne was hardly surprised that it had come to this level of desperation, though. It'd been nearly a week since the party and he'd camped outside Ravenclaw's dorm almost every single night, too afraid to touch the knocker since he believed the lie she'd told him once that getting the answer wrong meant being splattered with goblin puss.

The first night after the party, Lyra Ogden had come in with Marigold Smythe and Tonya Lewis, giving her a snooty look and had said he was out there. Amelia had threatened to go give him a piece of her mind, only to be talked down when Roxanne had reminded her he wasn't worth it and that she was a prefect.

Caleb, loyal as he could be, had followed her around the castle like a lost dog, desperately trying to talk to her. It turned out to be more difficult for him than he could have thought. Despite being over six feet tall and having a quidditch toned body, Roxanne was quick and evasive alone, and if not alone, closely beside Amelia, who turned out to be an even bigger challenge than making Roxanne listen to whatever he had to say.

Amelia Nott, in all her tiny fury, had been a great guard dog. She was quick with her wand and transfigured his ears into bats and nose into a trunk, and at one point had threatened to blast him out a window on the eighth floor if he didn't get lost.

Roxanne had stood beside her, covering herself behind her best friend, unable to face him like a coward. And after a series of attempts and wounded looks, he'd penned her this.

She snorted, tempted to throw her bag over the bridge just to be done with it, but couldn't. Maybe it was curiosity that made her keep the letter, but she knew the saying: Curiosity killed the cat, and she wouldn't succumb to such a stupid thing.

She had trusted him…

Gritting her teeth, she tried to focus on anything but the offending letter. She had rounds tonight, and that was more than a struggle to get through, and last week she'd gotten an E on her arithmancy homework… She had a lot more things to think of than Caleb Wood. OWLs were less than two weeks away, she shouldn't have even been at that stupid party.

Her heart gave a twist and she shook her head. She was done remembering it - done remembering him. With the letter heavy, she tossed her bag to the floor and pulled out her arithmancy textbook to review. An E at this rate was unacceptable and a welcome distraction.

* * *

 **:+:**

* * *

She hid in Hagrid's hut until Ancient Runes. They talked about her classes, how his lessons were going, and she pretended to eat rock cakes while sipping tea cheerfully.

"Yeh sure yeh alrigh', Roxy?" he asked her gruffly, peering at her with suspicion. "Yeh seem aw'ly quiet."

Roxanne brightened instantly, proving to him something was indeed wrong as she pasted on a fake smile, "Oh sure, just tired. Lots of studying, you know? OWLs are just a killer, but I'll make it through."

He nodded, but hardly seemed convinced. Fang drooled on her until she left, taking a rock cake for the road on his insistence and she left, vowing to stop by the kitchens after her last class.

Trudging up the path to the school, she reflected on the previous class of runes and tried not to focus on the people around her. Any of them could be a reminder of Caleb, and now she just wanted to make it through another day. She got through one heartache, she'd easily make it through another.

 _He wasn't even mine_ , she reminded herself and she bit her lip, trying to regain her focus on runes as she hiked up the stairs. She was almost to the third floor when she felt that shift in the air. They were so connected, and she knew if she turned, she'd see a pair of desperate grey-blue eyes. Despite her better judgement, she did look.

He was on the other side of the corridor and heading to charms with Barry and Laurel, James was ahead making some kind of commotion that she, as a prefect should handle, but instead she ran down the corridor before Caleb could even call her name.

Roxanne didn't stop until she threw open the classroom door, blushing as she stood in the door frame, red faced and panting. A few people giggled and Professor Babbling gave her a shrewd look. Apologizing, she slid into her seat and gathered her supplies, her hand passing along the letter.

 _Roxanne…_

He looked so desperate and sleep deprived, all of which he was. Guilt nearly gnawed at her, but she shoved it away. They all made a choice that night, and that choice was his. He couldn't take it back and she couldn't forgive him. It was what it was, and they needed to accept that.

It was hard making it through her classes. All she had wanted to do for days was cry, but she wouldn't allow herself. Caleb didn't deserve the satisfaction of getting to her. He'd gone too far, even if it was unintentional.

When she got out of charms, Amelia stretched and yawned. "Merlin, I'm starved!" Roxanne said nothing, her stomach churned and she figured she'd get a biscuit from the kitchens. "Want me to come with you? We can get all the usuals and study as much as you like. Heck, we'll study until sunrise, no complaints."

Roxanne smiled, but shook her head. "It's fine, I just…"

Amelia nodded and patted her best friend's arm, skipping down the hall as she went off to dinner. Watching her friend disappear, she wondered back to Ravenclaw Tower, deciding on having whatever was in her trunk (possibly Amelia's), than make the effort of possibly seeing him again.

His letter still beckoned to her, and grabbing the remains of cauldron cakes from her trunk, she shut the curtains and lay upon her bed. It'd be easy to tear it up and toss it down the loo. No one would ever even know she'd gotten a letter and it'd be put behind her, right where she wanted it to be: In the past.

Rolling over, she looked at her bag through the crack in the curtains and cursed at herself. "Stop being a git," she hissed to herself. "Either read it or get rid of it."

Tears bit her eyes and she rolled over the opposite way, hugging herself. It hurt. It hurt more than any pain she'd ever felt - any pain she could have imagined feeling. "How could you?" she whispered finally, letting the question that had lingered inside her for a week out. A sob followed it, and Roxanne cried, letting it all out as the letter remained untouched in her bag.


	6. love me like you: year four

**love me like you.**

 _last night, i laid in bed so blue, 'cause i realized the truth: they can't love me like you._

 _october, year four._

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** Title and quote belong to the queens, Little Mix. Everything else? JK Rowling, capiche?

* * *

She had been leaving charms when he'd called after her. Roxanne had paused, hiking her bag further up her shoulder, turning to Sid Jones, a gangly Gryffindor with black hair in her year, who was walking down the stairs after her. Amelia paused and then said, "Good luck," before leaving.

"Good luck? Good luck for what?" she hissed after the blonde who laughed, waving as she left. "Amelia!"

She turned to Sid, giving him an unsure smile and he gestured for her to walk. Following beside him, she played with the strap of her bag, unsure as he fidgeted with his tie before sighing. "Listen… about the Hogsmeade trip this weekend, are you, I don't know… Going with anyone?"

Roxanne cocked an eyebrow, feeling a jitter flutter through her and she brushed it off as nothing. "Just Amelia," she said and he grinned.

"If you wanted to, I was thinking, maybe we could go to the Three Broomsticks together and get some lunch."

Taken aback, Roxanne tripped over the hem of her robe, falling forward and he caught her elbow and she blushed. "Well… sure, yes, I guess. I mean if you want to?" The last part came out as a question as her mind wandered to Caleb, but shoved him from her mind. He wasn't here. He didn't matter.

Sid grinned. "Okay! Excellent, I'll see you then."

"Or in potions," she quipped and he blushed.

"Er, yeah, there too!"

"Uh, what time, though?" Roxanne asked, turning as he began to leave her and his face grew redder and she felt awkward as her skin prickled.

"How about half past noon?"

"Okay, uh, I'll be there."

Rushing off down the corridor to his friends, Roxanne sighed a bit and began to grin as she walked alone out of the charms corridor to transfiguration when Amelia sidled up beside her, grinning ear to ear. "So did he do it? Did he ask you out?!" She squealed, walking up an extra step to face her friend, her hands clasped under her chin in hope.

Roxanne's mouth parted, "You tart! There's no way you could have guessed that!"

"Oh please," Amelia waved off impatiently, "anyone with eyes could see Cupid's arrow had shot him. He has been extra interested in you lately, not that you'd notice. You pay no mind while the rest of us, mostly me, desperately want a lover to sweep them off their feet."

Roxanne grit her teeth and said, "Okay enough with that rubbish." Amelia rolled her eyes and then let out an aggravated groan.

"Mother of Merlin, Roxanne, did he ask you out or not?" she hollered.

Roxanne, who was red, was about to answer when Caleb, who had been coming down the stairs, stopped and looked over at them, the smile he had been wearing faltered into a tight, un-Caleb-like smile.

"Asked out?" he questioned casually, but Roxanne could see a storm brewing in his grey-blue eyes as he leaned against the rail. "Asked out by who?"

Amelia rolled her eyes, shooting him a look. "None of your business, you burly git."

"And it's none of your business if I got asked out at all," Roxanne pointed out, looking from Amelia to Caleb.

Amelia tutted. "Of course it's my business. I'm your best friend, part of the job is protecting you from prats and ensuring your everlasting happiness. Ergo, did you say yes when he asked you out?"

Roxanne rolled her eyes, shoving between the two. Caleb gave a scowl and said, "Of course she didn't. Roxy isn't the dating type. She prefers books to human affection."

Clenching her fists, she whirled around. "And what would _you_ know about what _I_ prefer. Merlin's beard, the sodding nerve." Breathing through her nose, she smiled, "I _did_ get asked out, if you must know, Caleb. A boy asked me out today, and since you're basically about to wee yourself if you don't know, Amelia, yes. I told him I'd go out on a date with him, aright? Happy? Is everybody satisfied now? Good!"

Amelia squealed and Caleb glared, pretending to gag at the blonde.

Amelia shoved Caleb out of the way and he dangerously lurched over the side, righting himself and glaring after her. "Ooh, I suspect it'll be good, Roxanne! Imagine you and him! It's so cute! And you have the right amount of height to be aesthetically appealing," she gushed.

"Yes, yes," Roxanne said, patting her friend's hand, not wanting to discuss it in front of Caleb, or really, ever. Amelia was the girlfriend type, Roxanne suspected finding the thing awkward meant she either wasn't ready or just wasn't the type.

"Who is the lucky lad?" Caleb asked casually, but Roxanne could see this look in his eyes, and she felt a bit nervous. It was like when James was ready with a biting comeback, one she knew would hurt, no matter how she prepped herself for it.

Suppressing that nervous feeling inside her, she shrugged, "A boy in our year. No one you'd know." Amelia grinned, her lips pursed together and Caleb glared.

"Fine," he spat. "I didn't care anyway."

He walked down the stairs, hexing a first year Slytherin who stumbled into his way, and the boy began to tap dance as his friends shouted after Caleb, who ignored them beyond shooting a poorly aimed hex their way. It bounced off the wall uselessly, but they screamed all the same.

Roxanne and Amelia looked after him as he became smaller and smaller and Roxanne said, "Think he's upset?"

"Oh yes," Amelia cheerfully declared. "It makes it all the more fun to watch."

Roxanne's lips tingled with the memory from their kiss. He had no right to be upset… He strung girls along, leaving them with nothing but memories, and she didn't want to be the one of his many. Especially when she didn't have the right to get mad about his string of heartbreaks…

Linking her arm with Amelia, they began to walk down the corridor to transfiguration. "So what will you wear?" Amelia asked, eager to hear about her friend's thoughts on her date.

"I dunno," she admitted. "I haven't thought that far. We're just meeting at The Three Broomsticks."

"Wait, you're not walking to town together?" Amelia asked in horror. "Oh no, no, no!" Clapping her hands, Amelia Nott went into project mood and Roxanne saw the gears turn in her head. "Don't you worry Roxanne, you just leave the details to me!"

Roxanne, who hadn't been worried or nervous, nodded as she watched the glint appear in her best friend's eye. She sighed to herself. This date would be long and tedious now that it'd been given to her best friend, but she wouldn't deny that she wasn't excited for it.

Guilt gnawed at her as she turned back to where Caleb had been. His hurt look flashed in her mind, but she shoved it off. Sid Jones was sweet, sensible, smart… It was time for something new and time to let things go.

"I can pick out your outfit, right? Ooh, I have so many ideas!" Amelia gushed beside her and Roxanne turned back, blinking at her friend as she prattled on.

"Yeah, sure. Just nothing too crazy, okay?"

Amelia waved her off. "Yeah. Sure, whatever. Maybe I could figure out the clothing charm and we could transfigure something you own," she brainstormed and Roxanne rolled her eyes affectionately as she leaned into her best friend. This date would be a good thing, she could feel that.

It was time to simply let Caleb go.


	7. sparks fly: year five

**sparks fly.**

you're the kind of reckless that should send me running, but i kind of know that i won't get far.

august, year five.

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** All but the title and quote (which belong to Miss Taylor Swift) belongs to Jo.

* * *

Roxanne stood in the middle of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes hating everything. It was the week before school started, and the rush of people was in full swing. Everywhere there were people, yanking at things, making a mess of displays, yelling. She hated this time of year with a passion, even if sales flourished.

People shoved, poked and prodded her as the moved around the store, and she glared at them. Her brother, however, was in his element. Every customer he'd dealt with had been happy, leaving with a full bag and big smile as they went.

Freddie was definitely the people person, the sodding Hufflepuff.

Roxanne was trying to fix a display some idiot first year had knocked, not even having the curtesy to stop and assess the damage as they went over to the Pygmy puffs, when a woman all but whacked her. "Excuse me!" she hollered rudely, as if Roxanne had been ignoring her - which she might have been. The lady was rat faced and had straggly hair, her son looked no better with his rodent face and colorless hair, but Roxanne just blinked at them. "Excuse me!" she said again, as if Roxanne was stupid and she huffed, waving a box of Jinx-Off in her face.

"Yeah," she sighed. The woman, who was taken aback by the indifferent response, and not one of mind reading looked appalled at her attitude.

"Well," she said, cluing Roxanne in that this woman clearly thought she was important as she put herself at full height, her nose going in the air. "These prices are outrageous. Nearly five galleons for this? It's a scam!"

Roxanne blinked at her, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Sorry, prices on our products are final. No haggling or bartering," she explained, not sounding sorry at all. Just annoyed and bored, all of which she was.

The woman bristled and said, "This is unacceptable service! I demand to see your manager!" Roxanne couldn't resist and did roll her eyes, turning to go get one of the men in charge. Personally, she hoped to find Uncle Ron first. While her dad and Uncle Lee had their own ways of revenge (dungbombs in bags, a biting tea cup here and there, a rogue toffee), Uncle Ron was impatient and tossed out customers like this, and it was something she quite enjoyed.

Sadly, Uncle Ron was busy tending to his own mess: a group of third years who were trying to open a box of darkness powder, and he was on the verge of banning them forever. She did, however, find George Weasley with a cheerful grin on his lips as he watched a family leave with three bags full of goodies.

"Nice," Roxanne commented and her dad beamed.

"What can I say? I'm the master of helping those cause mischief," he laughed. "So what's wrong?"

Roxanne groaned. "We have a tart near the front saying we're unfair with our pricing. She's going to try and haggle, and probably have a yell about me," she warned.

Her dad waved it off and straightened his robs. "How do I look?"

"Like you know this is a lot of rubbish," she deadpanned and he grinned.

"Too right that I do," he agreed. Then he looked at her sheepishly, "Listen, if you don't mind, the back wall has been driving me bonkers. We haven't had time to fix it, but could you restock it. It looks like we're going out of shop."

Roxanne had to resist the urge to cheer with delight. Her dad's grin widened, he knew his daughter too well to be fooled. Nodding, she gave a, "Sure dad!"

Having to restrain the urge to skip to the backroom, Roxanne entered a door with an orange and magenta sign reading: EMPLOYEES ONLY! ALL UNAUTHORIZED PERSONS STAY CLEAR UNLESS THEY WANT TO FACE A VICIOUS CREATURE. CHEERS, WEASLEY!

She had organized the stockroom the first week of summer, and she knew without her it wouldn't last. The owners were too chaotic and their hires weren't always the best. Post-Hogwarts graduates were usually waiting to get out of wherever they were, not that she blamed them, she was every bit of the same as them. Just without the awful work ethic. A few had tramped through the store and had impressed her, but they'd been there for a summer before getting a ministry job in London, or elsewhere. Everyone else who had worked there wasn't going anywhere, and those ones scared her.

She went to the row for the back shelf and grabbed a box of punching telescopes, weary of them, even though they were encased and unable to touch her. One bad incident had just scarred her for life and had made the wrath of Angelina Johnson-Weasley befall on her poor, innocent dad who hadn't been aware that his five year old daughter had wandered and opened merchandise.

Desiring to grab more, but remembering to pace herself, she exited the stockroom and the crowd parted for her with annoyed looks. The box was half the size of her, and it was heavy - it all but crashed to the floor when she got to the back. Opening it, she began to stock them into the bottom, letting herself sit for a minute.

It was loud, obnoxious, but she kept her focus at her task until someone poked her left shoulder. Turning towards them, thinking it was either a customer or a child, she heard a familiar laugh. "No way did you fall for that!"

Turning to her right, she glared straight up at Caleb. He was taller than the last time he'd come in to see Freddie, and she rolled her eyes. "Wow, that's so clever. Be careful, we Ravenclaws might snatch you away. Can't let Gryffindor house have anyone with the wit of you."

He gave her a cheeky grin and lounged back. "How's the summer been treating you, Roxy?"

She gritted her teeth, the box of the punching telescope bent a bit and she had half a mind to unleash it upon him, but she shoved it onto a shelf forcefully. Caleb grinned wider and Roxanne glared up at him, her nostrils flaring like a dragon.

"Can I help you with something, or are you just here to annoy me?" she seethed.

"A bit of both, actually," Caleb said easily, waving to someone as he glanced around. "Where's your brother?"

"I don't know," she snapped. "He's working, like I am."

He waved at her. "You're always working. You're a sad workaholic at only fifteen, it's heartbreaking." Roxanne stood up, snatching the empty box and nearly threw it at him, but instead she whirled around, her braids flying out and a few whacked his chest as she stormed off to grab more stuff.

Caleb didn't bother her after that, and an hour later, she doubted he was even still in the store, but changed her mind on that when she saw James and one of his girlfriends. Where there was James Potter, his crew was usually lurking in the shadows, somewhere.

The rush had slowed for lunch, the store only mildly packed with people who were waiting for the next thing, and Freddie was over by the paten daydream charms, flirting with Erik Chang, his boyfriend.

Roxanne, however, was on a ladder and finishing up her task, not caring who was doing what. A little boy around the age of three had wandered underneath her, but she was busy pretending she was elsewhere, her mind too far gone to even care. He picked up a freshly stocked Feathery Flamingo Flame Fuzzer and began to shake it as hard as he could. Oblivious to the shaking, she glanced down when she heard his mother scream, "Timmy! Put that thing down!" A woman grabbed it from her son, muttering about how useless her child who was supposed to be watching him was when the box fell to the floor. BANG!

Roxanne hadn't even registered the box explode harmlessly, but the loud pop, pop, BANG! had scared her, and she'd jumped, her shoe falling from it's rung. Unable to do anything, she felt herself fall and heard a cry that she thought may have come for her, and suddenly she landed on something hard that wasn't the floor.

Her eyes were shut, ready to make impact with the floor and slowly opened. Whatever caught her righted themselves and laughed, "Merlin's beard, Roxy! You really did fall for me!"

She shoved him, though it was a feeble, little shove. Her soul was still on the ladder, lost in it's endless daydream and trying to catch up with the present. Her heart pounded and she looked up at him. He was smiling, but she could see the concern clear on his face. "Alright there, Roxy?"

Roxanne looked around, lost and confused as her dad and Uncle Lee ran over. Lee grabbed the smoking box and escorted it quickly to the back with the other dud products as her dad looked pale and shaken, matching his daughter perfectly.

"Rox, you okay?" he asked with heavy breathing, her brother joining him. Roxanne, who regained some sense, shoved away from Caleb, who gently placed her on the floor.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just…" she didn't really know what she was going to explain, but felt like she needed to.

Caleb lingered and she was red faced. "Thanks for catching her, Cal," her dad said sincerely, and Freddie nodded in agreement. Caleb was on his own cloud nine, considering George Weasley, his idol, had acknowledged him.

He was red in the face, rubbing the back of his neck and nodded, "Anytime."

Roxanne looked up at him, unsure of what to do. She didn't even know where they stood, but she opened her mouth and he nodded, understanding.

"Roxy, why don't you take a break and cool off," her dad suggested, though it was more of an order. He was shellshocked and said, "Go enjoy the day before it ends, we'll finish up here."

She wanted to argue, but couldn't find the motivation for a good debate. She felt sluggish and shaken, and she knew she must have looked worse for wear if Freddie didn't even protest that she got the rest of the day to herself when his own boyfriend was there.

Nodding, she went up to her dad's office and discarded the obnoxiously colored robe and grabbed her bag. She decided to go to the Leaky Cauldron and then wander for a bit as she left the shop and went south on the cobblestone pathway.

She was joined by someone and glared at the street, knowing exactly who it was. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

Caleb, who shoved his hands in his pockets, gave her a charming smile - fake, considering his dimples didn't appear and his eyes didn't crinkle, but she ignored that. Or tried to. "Nah. I got love bird central back there, it's revolting."

"So I take it you and Grace didn't work out?"

"Oh me and the Graces of the world never do," he shrugged. "So how's the boyfriend?"

Roxanne scowled. "He's fine," she shrugged. At least, she thought he was fine. Hoped he was fine. Roxanne had written Sid several times over the summer only to receive a handful of responses. She wasn't worried, though. He was busy.

It did miff her, though. He hadn't even told her if he got prefect yet, and she'd written to him immediately weeks ago.

Her and Sid had been good. They kissed here and there, held hands if they were together, he'd take her books, they studied places. It was a relationship you'd expect fourteen year olds to have: awkward, new and full of firsts. And Sid, he wanted all the firsts.

Roxanne hated to admit it, but she wasn't surprised by his cold shoulder. Their issues had began in May, just before exams. They had been alone in the common room of all places, studying well past everyone else who'd gone to bed, and they were on the couch. He'd suavely moved their books and began to kiss her, she eagerly joined in, gripping his shirt. Before she knew it, she'd been on her back and feeling unsure before the hands began to move under her top, inching to her breasts. She'd stopped him and he'd been annoyed, sneering at her before going to bed.

The next morning, it had been like it hadn't even happened. Roxanne didn't know what it meant and didn't question it. They hadn't broken up, but things had changed. He'd changed.

She didn't let it bother her, though. In truth, Roxanne was used to things being left unsaid. Maybe more than she should have.

"Sounds great," deadpanned Caleb, scowling a bit.

Roxanne scowled back, "Well it is!"

"Glad to hear it!"

They stood in awkward silence and then she turned and began to walk. Caleb followed and she crossed her arms, not turning towards him. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

He looked at her, studying her for a minute. "Do you want me to leave?"

She didn't and she sighed. He grinned and kept pace with her. They weaved through the crowds until they reached the Leaky Cauldron. He held the door open for her, and she went in and took a table near the back.

Hannah Longbottom had been cleaning the counter cheerfully when they came in and waved, both waved back.

"Roxanne!" she said cheerfully, giving the girl an awkward side hug. "How have you been? How's your parents and brother?"

"Oh we're all fine. Busy, though," she said politely and Hannah nodded.

"Yeah, we just finished our big rush and probably won't have another until dinner. So the usual, then?" Roxanne nodded and Caleb ordered and Hannah rushed over to the front of the pub.

"So, Freddie tells us you became a prefect." Roxanne rolled her eyes, grumbling a bit. "What's that?"

"Oh just can it, would you," she snipped and his eyes widened.

"So did Freddie lie? Are you saying our dearly beloved Hufflepuff, with not a mean bone or way to lie in his body, is telling tall tales about you. The scandal!"

"Oh enough! Yes, I'm a prefect and if you keep it up, I'll take as many points as I can away from Gryffindor before we even get there!"

He snorted. "Good Godric, may Dumbledore save our sorry souls." She glared at him and he grinned.

* * *

 **:+:**

* * *

"Hey, those are mine!" she argued twenty minutes later as he plucked a chip off her plate. He'd gobbled his food up in mere seconds of having it and was trying to steal off her plate.

"Don't be so greedy, I'm a growing boy!"

"Oh pot, I think the kettle is calling you," she deadpanned, slapping his hand away as he went for another one.

They had actually enjoyed each other's company and she felt a sadness for the end of it, even though she didn't have to be anywhere. It made her do something she hated: wonder what if? Like what if she hadn't ran after they kissed, would they have dated? Would he have been her first proper makeout? Would they still be together? What if Sid and her never began, would he have asked her out that October?

It made so many questions, but it gave her no answers. It was annoying and pointless to wonder about. They were Roxanne and Caleb. She had a boyfriend, and by the start of the term he'd have a girl hanging off his arm. It was how the world worked, and she accepted it for what it was.

"So you all geared up for OWLs?" he asked, snatching another chip off her plate and popped it in his mouth.

She shrugged. "Honestly? No. I feel like I don't really know what I want to do… Or really, I do, I just don't know how…"

"That makes no sense," he pointed out with a grin.

She threw her hands up dramatically. "I know!" she agreed.

He lounged back and said, "Well what do you want to do?"

She scowled, turning away from him and played with the remainder of her food. "You'll mock me," she said.

"Oh of course I will," he promised and she glared. He grinned and shrugged, "What is it? A threstral trainer? Castle washer? Filtch's right hand man?"

She didn't answer straight away, then she sighed. "I want to be a professor. Charms, preferably," she said.

He blinked and said, "You'd be good at that, actually."

Roxanne's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

"Yeah! Yeah you'd be good at that… C'mon, surely you must know! You do magic beyond your years, you practice - heck, you're good at it. Sure, you're impatient and would make students cry and regret the day they went to Hogwarts, but why not?"

She glared at him playfully then began to smile. "So… so you really think I could do it?"

Caleb grinned, twirling his empty butterbeer bottle, "It's weird to think that you don't."

Roxanne tossed a chip at him; he laughed, she smiled.

Sometimes, he really could surprise her.

Turning away from him, she said, "Well, then I think you're the only person who could see me do the job."

"That's rubbish, Amelia would believe in you if you wanted to knit jumpers for unicorns in need, and you know it."

Roxanne bit her lip, then shoved her plate of chips toward him, her heart racing. She couldn't sit here, looking at him, not with Sid hanging in the back of her mind. Not when she felt so understood that she wanted to kiss him, just because. Throw her caution to the wind and just... be.

She looked at her watch and said, "I should go."

"Seems like a very you thing to do," he said easily.

She blushed, scowled a bit and stood up, "I'll see you at school, Caleb."

As she went to leave he said softly, "Roxy."

She turned despite herself and he gave her a small, sincere smile. "Congratulations on making prefect."

Stunned, she felt her lips curve into a smile, "Thanks. See you, Wood."

As she left, she wished there wasn't a 'what if', just a reality. But the reality was there was no her and Caleb - she didn't know how to exist there, but it didn't stop her from thinking that as she wondered around Diagon Alley, replaying their conversation in her mind, grinning from ear-to-ear.


End file.
